


the start of something beautiful

by silentlife



Category: Stray Kids (Band)
Genre: Barista Kim Seungmin, Chaptered, Coffee Shops, Fluff, Happy Ending, I Tried, I'm Sorry, Jealousy, Like, Love?, M/M, actually both panicked gays, almost crush on first meeting?, barista seungmin is my fetish, hyunjin shy boy, hyunjin total panicked gay, hyunjin's too, idk - Freeform, its fluffy, jokes im sorry, notes fic, rlly rlly hard, seungjin - Freeform, seungmin partly confident gay, some minsung if you, squint
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-19
Updated: 2019-12-16
Packaged: 2021-02-13 02:11:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,262
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21486607
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/silentlife/pseuds/silentlife
Summary: coffee shop au // main ship seungjinbarista seungmin cos im whipped (hyunjin too)[ no caps for aesthetic purposes ]hyunjin never understood the worth of 8 dollar coffee, but being able to see seungmin's smile made it all the more worth it.in which seungmin likes to write small notes for hyunjin every time he buys coffee, causing a romance to bloom.
Relationships: Han Jisung | Han/Lee Minho | Lee Know, Hwang Hyunjin/Kim Seungmin
Comments: 11
Kudos: 85





	1. love?

**Author's Note:**

> this was the first chapter of my story T^T its taken me so much courage to post this and im not sure when ill grow enough balls to post the second chapter :( its a bit slow but things pick up as the story moves on!! please leave kudos and comments as they really help encourage me with my writing jsksjskj hope y'all enjoyed my story and i swear it gets better!! im open to constructive criticism so tell me if there are any errors

_ **the first day** _

it was a tough morning for hyunjin. having had pulled an all nighter, dance choreography yet to be perfected, he hadn’t started off the day well at all.

a black mask to hide his pout and a black cap to hide his dark eye bags, hyunjin even donned a black hoodie which was lazily thrown on before leaving his apartment. he looked every bit that edgy, emo kid he wasn’t— but without his daily dose of coffee in his hand, he was dangerously close to becoming as short-fused as changbin.

despite being rather short, changbin made up for his rather unfortunate lack of size by playing up his bad boy image to the best of his ability, which had, unexpectedly, suited him well. able to spit bars like fire, changbin was the university’s resident bad boy for his dark aura and rap skills. hyunjin had been in **awe** of changbin for years on end now, but had always been too intimidated by him to even strike up a conversation.

shaking off the thoughts about his own cowardice, hyunjin scanned his surroundings in search for some caffeine. and he found some, alright, with a whole lot more sugar than he bargained for. upon reaching the crowded, overpriced coffee shop near his university, hyunjin lowered his head, put in his airpods and begrudgingly joined the lengthy queue.

he was still very much unwilling to fork out eight full dollars for a cup of fancy coffee, but desperate times called for desperate measures. immersed in his own world, hyunjin only silently bopped his head to his playlist, the melodic tune of a got7 song playing in his ear. eyes slowly drifting shut, he unknowingly made it to the front of the queue after a long while of waiting at the crowded coffee shop.

“hi what could i get you today?” the striking voice cut through hyunjin’s music, causing him to look up in surprise. having been jolted awake by the shock, hyunjin blinked in disbelief, eyes widening as he drank in the sight in front of him. cute boy … barista apron… “hi? what would you like to order?” the sweet voice asked again, snapping hyunjin out of his love-filled daze.

_love?_

“i... i…an iced americano for hwang hyunjin… please?” hyunjin stuttered out hesitantly, voice muffled by the piece of cotton blocking his mouth. Internally cringing at his awkwardness, a mild blush had already started to climb up the nape of his neck and onto his cheeks. although the redness on his face was hidden by the mask, hyunjin felt no less self-conscious, half-expecting a poor response from the adorable barista standing behind the counter.

lucky for him, the pretty boy taking his order simply laughed it off good-naturedly, shyly adjusting the round-rimmed glasses perched on his nose. when the brown-haired boy confirmed his order, hyunjin hurriedly fished out a ten dollar bill from his wallet to pay for his drink. the endearing boy gave hyunjin a wide smile, vaguely reminding the latter of a puppy- utterly lovable.

_love..._

the charming boy then reached out to take the money from hyunjin’s extended palm, their hands accidentally brushing against each other. may sound dramatic, but that short moment of contact felt as though a spark had ignited between the two. a small, harmless flame, which could have very well been the start of something beautiful.

the attractive barista seemed to be unfazed, but hyunjin definitely wasn’t. heart pounding against his ribcage, heat spread out across his entire face, deepening the already-present blush. lowering his head to hide it, hyunjin nervously collected his change, muttering a quick thank you before stepping out of the queue.

hand clenching his receipt, hyunjin’s heart continued to race as he waited for his coffee, eyes never once leaving the sunny boy who was hard at work behind the counter. slowly feeling the blush fade from underneath his mask, hyunjin finally felt confident enough to take off his mask and hat, seeing as how stuffy it was getting in the store.

“one iced americano for hwang hyunjin!” the cute cafe boy called out from the pick-up station, holding up the dark-brown drink high up in the air. stuffing his hat and mask into his bag, hyunjin rushed in front to collect his drink, taking in the sight of the boy from the waist up, body no-longer hidden behind the various coffee-making machines or the cash register.

he wore a simple denim hoodie along with a pair of casual faded jeans, an employee’s apron draped over the front of his outfit, the glasses resting on the top of his nose complementing his whole look. squinting to read his nametag, hyunjin lowered his head slightly to make out the blur of korean words in front of him.

_kim seungmin… so that was his name_

finally regaining his senses, hyunjin’s head snapped up in pure embarrassment over being caught checking seungmin out. flustered and mortified, hyunjin didn’t quite dare make further eye-contact with seungmin, simply offering a tentative grin to him before grabbing his americano, “subtly” running out of the store, eyes still fixated on the floor.

on his way to university, hyunjin couldn’t help but think back to seungmin as he sipped his costly, bitter coffee. sighing to himself, hyunjin dipped his head to stare at the half-empty cup in his hand, finally noticing a small note scribbled on the side of the plastic cup.

“hyunjin~ cheer up! you would look much better with a smile hehe- seungmin”

smiling to himself like a fool, hyunjin felt a certain sense of warmth fill up his heart after reading the short message. as good of a job the coffee would have done waking him up, he was sure that it was something else that gave him the entirely new surge of energy. with the taste of something sweet still lingering in his mouth, hyunjin only chuckled as he finished his drink, which had suddenly seemed like an incredibly worth it investment.

but hyunjin swore, he had caught a glimpse of kim seungmin blushing. maybe he had just been seeing things, but that mild, rose-pink hue he saw fanning out on seungmin’s cheeks couldn’t possibly have been false… right? perhaps he was just seeing things, just like the way he was feeling things.

_love?_


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> days two to twelve, in which hyunjin only falls deeper in... love?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i switched up my writing style for this chapter cos i felt like experimenting a bit more :0 and some stories that ive read that have like a similar thing going on and it hit me so hard? so i just went and tried to master it :D it's a bit different so i hope yall like it ((yeah and it goes back to narrative next chapter if i dont give up by then)) anyway thanks for reading!! i appreciate every one of yall reading my fic ><

** the second day  **

_ your smile is beautiful, your smile makes me smile more too! smile more today hyunjin!  _

hyunjin smiled more that day, not because he was thinking of seungmin’s smile, of course not. just that his classes went well, that's all.  


**the third day **

_ are you coming in just to see me? haha i come to work just to see you too! have a great day :)  _

hyunjin decided to go there everyday he could, definitely not to see seungmin, it was just that the coffee was good. 

**the fourth day **

“look who’s late again” minho shouted playfully from a corner of their dance practice room, as the doors to their studio swung open. clock slowly ticking past 12, minho made a huge gesture of looking up from his stretching position to motion at the time, poking fun at hyunjin for his tardiness. 

“ha ha, very funny.” hyunjin sacarstically retorted, shooting minho a warning glare as he set down his bag and half-full coffee on the floor, continuing to roll his eyes at minho’s teasing comments. tying his shoelaces sulkily, hyunjin couldn’t help but feel attacked. he hadn’t been that late, right? 

“oh wow, is that an expensive coffee cup i see?” felix remarked, paying no heed to hyunjin’s incessant grumbling. “i never thought, i’d live to see the day hyunjin pays more than five dollars for coffee, for a consecutive few days, no less!” 

felix’s mock surprise offending hyunjin, their short banter continued till he threw a pointed jab at minho’s “lavish coffee tastes”, attempting to direct the conversation away from himself, which of course, didn’t work the way he intended. 

“i only drink fancy-ass coffee just cos jisung likes it,” minho retaliated dramatically. “and i like jisung so i drink the expensive coffee with him. so stop dragging my tastes in coffee. i’m doing it for love.” hearing the older’s straightforwardness, hyunjin couldn’t help but cringe, yet inevitably blurting out something in the heat of the moment.  


“what if im doing it for love after all.” 

the other two heads in the studio turned towards him incredulously, not quite believing their ears. the light, joking feel in the air suddenly stilled, a highly-tensioned awkward silence slowly filling up the void. 

hyunjin, now fully aware of the impact his words held, slapped a hand over his mouth in horror, cheeks having already turned a striking shade of red. eyes startled wide open, the sheer embarrassment of the situation causing him to duck into his own jacket, simply to avoid any form of suggestive eye contact with his peers. 

both pairs of eyes were currently sparkling with a new-found glint, a knowing smile slowly spreading on minho’s face, while an evil grin started to make its way on felix’s. 

“hyunjinie~” felix dragged out mischievously, having crawled over to hyunjin, his coffee cup in hand. raising his naturally deep voice up by a few octaves, felix began to (poorly) mimic seungmin’s note. “you look much more happier today! must be my effect on you~ have a great day…” 

hyunjin flushed a deeper shade at the words, from both the embarrassment and the naturally sweet message felix was reading out. ears burning hot, all hyunjin could do was listen to felix and minho loudly fawn over the short, innocent-sounding letter, despite not being ones for such obvious shows of affection. 

“aight let's leave hyunjin’s love life alone and gets started on practice, we’re behind schedule already.” minho promptly announced, clapping his hands to get their attention, probably noticing how uncomfortable and bashful hyunjin was starting to get. 

tentatively peeking out from under his jacket, hyunjin showed off his crimson blush and upset pout to his dance team, as if trying to make a statement for them to stop laughing about his crush. childishly sticking out his tongue at felix, hyunjin grabbed the coffee cup out of his hand, before going back to his daily stretches. 

it was as if everything had gone back to normal, the usual, comfortable silence between the three had returned as they focused on getting ready. yet, the ringing in hyunjin’s ears and the thumping of hyunjin’s heart still remained, loud as ever. 

a crush? was that what seungmin was to him? 

shaking his head profusely at the thought, hyunjin immediately resumed his warm-ups, trying his best to distract himself from overthinking the situation. which, obviously did not work. 

mind still incessantly preoccupied by the troubling question, hyunjin couldn’t quite focus during the entirety of their dance practice, or throughout the remainder of the day. no matter how hard he tried, hyunjin still couldn’t, for the life of him, find out the answer to his own question. 

what was kim seungmin to him? 

a mere crush? a friend? or maybe… more than that? 

despite only having met four days ago, it was as if seungmin had already claimed a special place in his heart. 

but were those feelings platonic? or were they… 

_ love?  _

does he even feel the same? 

what was he to kim seungmin? 

**the fourth day **

_ hyunjinie~ you look much more happier today! must be my effect on you~  _

hyunjin decided to put his thoughts on hold, and see where his feelings lead him. he was definitely not confused about his own feelings. it can’t be love, he just didn’t understand what it was. 

**the fifth day **

_ i really like you coming to get coffee! you’re my favourite customer you know? have a good day _

hyunjin felt warm in spite of the cold morning breeze. maybe he was having a fever, it couldn’t be seungmin’s words that caused it. hyunjin decided he liked being seungmin’s favourite. 

**the sixth day **

_ you looked really cute in pink today, maybe you should wear it more often haha _

hyunjin’s cheeks flushed the same shade of pink as his hoodie. hyunjin decided that seungmin was cuter than he was. 

**the seventh day **

_ you talked to me today!! thanks for calling me cute, but you’re cuter! have a great day ahead  _

hyunjin decided that he didn’t regret talking to seungmin. and he also decided that he wanted to talk to seungmin even more. 

**the eighth day **

_ good luck on your dance assessments! hugs and much love, seungmin _

his heart feeling fuller than ever, hyunjin decided that it felt good to receive seungmin’s love, and that seungmin deserved all the love the world could offer him. 

**the ninth day **

_ you’re too sweet hyunjin… wishing you luck was the least i could do~ fighting!! _

his heart fluttered at the sight of seungmin’s words. maybe he was wrong all along. maybe that tightening feeling in his chest, was really, love. 

**the tenth day **

_ i can’t believe we’re the same age, but i attend a different uni!! it must be fate that we met here!! _

hyunjin decided that it really was fate, that brought them both together. maybe they had a chance after all?

**the eleventh day**

_ thanks for always coming! im lonely in the mornings and you make them so much better! see you tomorrow~ _

hyunjin smiled fondly at the cup once again, a warm feeling spreading throughout his entire body. hyunjin decided that even though he wasn’t clear about what he felt for kim seungmin, he knew he wanted to do something about his feelings. 

**the twelfth day **

i love your company too… stay healthy and happy all day ok? 

hyunjin decided that he wanted to write seungmin a note, just like seungmin had been doing for him. he wanted to give seungmin all the love he could possibly offer. and no matter the outcome, it would probably be worth it. 


	3. Chapter 3

the ground beneath hyunjin’s feet felt incredibly foreign, almost as foreign as the feeling in his chest. the weird thumping of his heart, the butterflies in his stomach, it all felt so bizarre. it was a brand of unfamiliar he couldn’t get enough of. it was the feeling of being in love with kim seungmin. 

seungmin had the prettiest smile out of everyone he knew. the corners of his mouth would turn up at even the slightest joke, reminding him of a small puppy— pure, innocent, and someone worth taking care of. and whenever seungmin smiled, his eyes would curve up, as if his eyes were smiling along with him. and whenever seungmin smiled, hyunjin felt like smiling too. 

hyunjin loved seungmin’s smile, and he would do anything to make sure it stayed on his face. hyunjin loved seungmin’s big doe eyes, cute button nose, fluffy brown hair, and so much more than that. hyunjin didn’t just love seungmin’s charming appearance, of course, he loved every other detail of seungmin too. from his sweet, thoughtful messages and cute mannerisms, right down to his messy handwriting, hyunjin felt a sense of fondness whenever he thought of the lovable boy. 

confession note folded and tucked neatly into his back pocket, hyunjin was already on his way to the coffee shop. biting his lip anxiously, that fluttery, nervous feeling made a sudden reappearance inside the pit of his stomach. his heart was rapidly beating inside his chest, palms sweating from the nerves, breaths coming out soft and ragged. 

hyunjin could barely walk straight, having an especially hard time clearing up his head. he still had an overwhelming number of insecurities. what if seungmin didn’t reciprocate his feelings? what if it was all one-sided all along? what if seungmin was disgusted by the thought of him being… gay? 

that scared him the most. hyunjin had met his fair share of people, some of which accepted him for who he was, while some of which simply turned a blind eye to his sexuality. yet there were still so many who found it revolting that a man could like another man. it had already been deemed unacceptable in society, and getting shunned for his sexuality hadn’t been a rare sight at all. 

what if seungmin was one of them? one of those who had teased him mercilessly for who he decided to love? one of those who had looked down on him, because they found the thought of it all nauseating enough to discriminate against. it was wrong to speculate, not to mention painful, for him to think of the one he loved in such a way, but the thought was more than fleeting. 

he was afraid of getting his heart broken, and there were so many “what if”s he had yet to address, the sheer number of which, quite frankly intimidated him to near submission. the uncertain had always scared hyunjin, but this time, his determination went far beyond usual. he was ready to risk it all, putting all his faith into a narrow chance at getting that happy ending he desired. hyunjin knew that among all the “what ifs”floating around in his head, there hid a positive outcome, an ending full of love, happiness and kisses.

_ kisses... _ the mere thought of being able to kiss seungmin made hyunjin revert to his shy self, the him that would blush over tiny, subtle acts of affection. as if on cue, said blush had already started creeping it’s way up his neck, slowly but surely spreading over his cheeks, tainting it a rosy red. hyunjin couldn’t quite bring himself to think about _ kissing _seungmin, much less anything else. it just seemed too far of a stretch, perhaps even considered violating seungmin’s privacy. 

ears already flushed bright red at the thought of _ kissing _ seungmin, hyunjin honestly felt incapable of going any further than that. and whatever hyunjin meant by _ kissing _ , was probably incredibly far from one’s imagination. he only thought of small pecks… on the cheek or on the forehead, short and sweet. just imagining how his precious seungmin would react after getting _ kissed _on the cheek was enough to get him to combust. 

now biting his lip to suppress his fast-spreading smile, hyunjin couldn’t help but feel all warm and fuzzy inside. his feet were clenched up from the saturated sweetness of his feelings, hands balled up into tiny fists, eyes starting to curve into small crescent moons. 

failing to mask his grin any longer, hyunjin beamed foolishly wide, looking like a lovesick idiot, smiling to himself at the side of the road. the warm feeling had started to climb up his chest, as if leading his heart up to his mouth. the fullness of his heart elicited a tiny giggle from his mouth, resembling the kind of squealing a teenage girl would do at the thought of their crush. 

hyunjin lowered his head in embarrassment, kicking the small rocks on the pavement, stumbling his way to the coffee shop. indulging in his own fantasies was one thing, but doing it in public, was almost shameful. it was as if everyone around him had taken note of his feelings, the prominent feelings of infatuation and adoration. 

heavily distracted and occupied by his thoughts, hyunjin soon rounded the corner of the trendy coffee shop. now more aware of his senses than ever, hyunjin became increasingly self-conscious. the structure of the coffee shop gradually came into sight, hyunjin slowed his steps down to look through the delicate glass windows, eyes naturally gravitating to seungmin. 

even as he just stood there, washing cups, the partially-blocked view of seungmin exuded innocent and fresh charms, forcing a smile up hyunjin’s face once again. that was, until hyunjin took notice of a hand being snaked around seungmin’s waist, and a hardly visible head resting on his shoulders.

through his squint, hyunjin could barely make out the figure of another boy pressing his body against seungmin’s, lazily hugging him from the back, despite being considerably shorter than the latter. he had a shade of brown hair almost identical to seugmin’s, and a naturally smaller stature with just the right amount of muscle, making him undeniably attractive. 

although hyunjin hadn’t had a good grasp on the situation yet, he felt a pang of jealousy in his stomach. he wasn’t one to get jealous easily, especially over something as petty as this, but it struck him how _ awfully close _they were. 

yeah sure, he understood the concept of skinship between friends, seeing as how he was pretty touchy with his dance team too, but seeing seungmin interact so closely with someone else just didn’t sit right with him. 

hyunjin nearly scoffed at himself. who was he kidding? he had no say in who got to touch seungmin, nor was he in any position to be wishing that he was the one hugging him. he wasn’t his boyfriend yet... what was he thinking?

at that moment, it was as if something finally clicked inside his head. hyunjin’s eyes widened almost comically in shock and disbelief, the jealousy swimming inside his stomach transitioning into something much colder. was it fear? or was it regret? it didn’t matter, for the sinking feeling inside his chest had started taking over his whole body already. 

hyunjin blinked once, then twice, eyes unwaveringly focused on the boy, who was still lazily draped onto seungmin. the two really looked compatible… as if they were a couple, which they probably were anyway. 

the tingly feeling inside his feet had now fully subsided, instead leaving a chilling cold, which consumed his entire being. hyunjin stood there helplessly, unable to tear his gaze away from the scene. 

seungmin, despite having put a playful sulk on his face was obviously enjoying the other’s company. the boy was now whispering something into seungmin’s ear, his teasing intent obvious from even where hyunjin was watching. 

at the other boy’s words, hyunjin could see a faint blush fanning out on seungmin’s cheeks, which were barely holding in a grin. it was plain to see that seungmin was happy with whoever that was, behind his facade of annoyance. 

the other boy turned around to latch onto seungmin from the front, instead of the back, finally facing hyunjin in a way that allowed the latter to view his face. 

and if hyunjin felt like he didn’t have a chance when he first set eyes on the couple, the hopeless feeling only deepened, seeing as who seungmin was dating. 

_ changbin hyung _

the infamous “triple threat” rapper he looked up to, the one who could rap well, sing well and even dance well. not only was changbin talented in every aspect, he also had the visuals to match. 

there simply wasn’t any competition.

hyunjin bit down on his tongue in an attempt to stop the sob threatening to climb out his throat, tears already starting to stream down his cheeks. the small spark of hope and desperation getting extinguished with immediate effect, hyunjin could only stand there, rooted to the ground, lips trembling and eyes watering. 

hyunjin could stand there, silently watching changbin peck seungmin on the cheek, tears and nausea blurring his vision. powerless, hyunjin stood there, eyes empty and sorrowful, quietly observing the wide smile seungmin had on his face, as if being able to hear the bubbly laughter escaping from his mouth. so that was how seungmin would have reacted… 

in spite of the dejection playing out in his heart, hyunjin felt a faint smile touch his lips. it was pained, but a smile nonetheless. he was content knowing seungmin was happy, even if he couldn’t be the one to make him happy. even though he wasn’t the one standing beside seungmin, hyunjin knew that if he truly wanted seungmin to be happy, even without him, he would gladly step aside for seungmin’s sake.

brushing away his tears, hyunjin found it in him to turn away from the coffee shop, facing the path home. if changbin could be the one to make seungmin smile the way he did, the way hyunjin desired to have been able to do, then the only thing he could do was walk away. 

it didn’t matter as long seungmin was happy. 

**the thirteenth day **

_ no note was written that day _

hyunjin didn’t know what to do with his feelings anymore. was this what heartbreak felt like? hyunjin missed seungmin. 

**the fourteenth day **

_ why didn’t you come yesterday? are you sick? i want to see you again _

hyunjin pretended to be fine, but he really wasn’t. he missed seungmin. 

**the fifteenth day **

_ why haven’t you come recently? are you avoiding me? i don’t know, what’s wrong? _

hyunjin cried today. he couldn’t help it, it was his first love after all. if he had known seungmin couldn’t be his, he wouldn’t have fallen this deep. hyunjin missed seungmin. 

**the sixteenth day **

_ i saw you pass by the shop this morning with your boyfriend… you must have found out, huh? you looked happy. i miss your big happy smile. _

hyunjin still couldn’t concentrate, nor could he distract himself. he walked to school with minho that day, but he still kept thinking. hyunjin missed seungmin. 

**the seventeenth day **

_ it’s all my fault, isn’t it? i shouldn’t have fallen in love with you. i’m sorry, i miss you. _

hyunjin knew that he shouldn’t have had dealt with his emotions like that, but he was simply at a loss on what to do. his feelings just weren’t right. he shouldn’t have fallen in love with him. yet, despite everything, hyunjin still missed seungmin. hyunjin decided that he didn’t want to keep running away. 

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is honestly such a shitty chapter and it took me almost a month to write im so sorry wtf TT its not proofread cos i couldn't bring myself to read it, its really subpar in quality but i hope you will still read it IM SORRY but shameless plug time follow me on twitter @angelhwng hdjshdjs ok hope you enjoyed it and please do leave kudos!! they’re always a great form of encouragement


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